Please Note:Submissions to the Bursary Fund will not be returned, and the jury's decision is final.Applications will be destroyed once the awards are announced.If you are selected to receive the award, we may ask for your permission to publish your name and photo on our website.

Venus Envy staff (including contract staff) plus their partners and immediate family are not eligible to apply.The successful applicant will be contacted by email or phone late August 2018. The awards are payable to the educational institution in early September, 2018.

The Venus Envy Bursary

Are you committed to anti-oppression, sex positivity, and community building? If so, you may be eligible for the Venus Envy Bursary Fund!

These $1500 bursaries are open to anyone studying for a degree, certificate or diploma in the Ottawa/Carleton/Outaouais area. If you are awarded this bursary, the money will be paid directly to the school on your behalf.

Please complete the application form in full. Only completed applications will be considered for the award. You may submit the completed application in person or by mail.

History and Values

The Venus Envy Bursary Fund was established in 2006 in Ottawa and we have awarded over $60,000 since that time. .

The fund is a open to all people of all genders and identities and is aligned with the work and values of Venus Envy Ottawa. At Venus Envy, we believe that:

Consensual sexual choices create pleasure and well-being, and we seek to support the various expressions of our diverse communities.

Every person has the right to control and make decisions about their own body, as well as make their own reproductive and sexual choices, facilitated by education and access to resources.

We all exist in intersecting and overlapping communities and have a responsibility to support each other.

Venus Envy intends to be anti-oppressive and anti-racist; we believe that all forms of oppression are acts of violence, and that racism, classism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, whorephobia and other forms of oppression are used to violate and control members of our communities.

We recognize the various challenges of those who are from traditionally marginalized and/or oppressed communities and identities. We encourage applicants to self-identify and all information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Ottawa Program

Started in 2006, the Venus Envy Ottawa Bursary Fund awards two people in the Ottawa area each a $1500 bursary. The bursary is awarded based primarily on need but also community involvement and other criteria.

We raise money by throwing parties, raffles, and other local events, as well as private donations.

The Venus Envy Bursary Society is registered as an incorporated, non-profit organization in Ontario.

News

March 2018

This will be the last round of bursaries awarded to students through the Venus Envy Bursary Fund. After a dozen years and almost $80,000 in donations, we are retiring the fund in Ottawa. We will award two, $1500 bursaries this fall instead of the usual one, so get your applications in and please share widely. Any cash left in our fund after these two donations will be donated to our longstanding community recipients, Ottawa Dyke March, Families of Sisters in Spirit, the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, and others.

March 2017

Community Donations!We've had a busy couple of years so we're super excited to let you know that we're making some extra donations to some of the incredible community organizations who are doing much needed work in Ottawa! Families of Sisters in Spirit, Babely Shades, Kind Space, Queerios Youth Group, Indigenous Survivors of Child Welfare Network, Centertown CHC LGBTQ Newcomers Group, The Canadian Somali Mothers Association, Trans Health Information Ottawa (THIO), Ottawa Black Arts Kollective, and the Trans Life Line will each be receiving $200 towards their programs.

September 2016

Thank you once again to The Queer Mafia for their ongoing support of the bursary fund. For years they have been donating part of the proceeds from their pride party to us and this year donated over $1100! Amazing community support, thank you. As well, Home Phono Queer Dance Party donated $150 from their pride party to the bursary fund this year.

The Venus Envy Bursary Fund is excited to announce that we have committed to an annual $1000 donation to the Native Youth Sexual Health Network! This donation is in addition to the two, $1500 bursaries that we are currently awarding each year to folks studying in the Ottawa area. The NYSHN works with Indigenous peoples across the United States and Canada to advocate for and build strong, comprehensive, and culturally safe sexuality and reproductive health, rights, and justice initiatives in their own communities. The VEBF donation will be used to support people doing front-line work with young people restoring rites of passage ceremonies and for Indigenous midwives and doula's practicing traditionally in their communities. To make a donation directly to NYSHN, click here:

2015 was a great year for the fund! We've received more private donations than any year on record and a giant $2000 gift from the Queer Mafia! The Filthy, Dirty Art Show (2) in January was a blast, we raised money for the fund and had a great party! Look for the next one in January of 2016! We were able to donate $6000 this year, double what we had anticipated.

2014 was another fantastic year for the fund! We threw parties at Halloween and Pride and raised over $2500 as well as having an awesome time!

The past fews months of 2013 has been amazing! The Queer Mafia has donated over $1800 to the fund from their last two parties and we also raised $250 from last 'mo diggity/certain sort grind fest. People were so generous this year that we were able to donate $4500 in 2013, up from our usual $3000!

In 2012 and early 2013, we have been so lucky to work with the Sexual Overtones (sexualovertones.ca) once again as well as Wed By Hand (wedbyhand.com) and Idle Hands Craft Sale (idlehandscraftsale.blogspot.ca). These awesome local organizations are doing cool things in Ottawa and we're happy to be both the recipient of their generosity as well as associated with them in their community building. We threw some kick ass parties this past year too, with the help of Fall Down Gallery (falldowngallery.tumblr.com) and Babylon Night Club (www.babylonclub.ca) as well as dozens of volunteers and performers, it's been one heck of a year for us! One of the most exciting things we've done lately is a public service type video (one in french and one in english) so that we can promote the bursary fund more easily to students and folks who work with students. I'll post them here shortly!

2011 was an incredible year for the VEBF! We threw more parties and raised more money than any year in out history! Check out an upcoming Certain Sort or Q Bounce party to support the fund (and have a blast)! Join the Ottawa Venus Envy group on Facebook to keep track of the parties, other events and bursary news in general.

In 2010, the bursary grew to offer more money! We're now awarding $1500 to at least two people each year, a nice jump for the $1000 we've offered in the past.

In both 2009 and 2010, Catherine Purdie and the Hot Women Fall Nights Dance for donating $800 to the fund.

In 2009, Ladyfest Ottawa (ladyfestottawa.com) donated $500 from their fabulous "Tarts and Crafts" sale as did the Sexual Overtones (sexualovertones.ca) from "Get Sprung" onApril 4th! And the fine folks at Unholy Harvest (unholyharvest.ca) have made us their recipient in both 2009 and 2010.

We continue to raise about $50 a month selling zines by Megan Butcher and cute pins created by Jimmie Sepulis of ballyhoomedia.com. Bursary Mondays are still going strong; come into VE on the first Monday of each month and 5% of your purchases will be donated to the fund. In 2010 over $1100 was raised from your purchases on Bursary Mondays!

How to help

Donations are most welcome! We would like to give bursaries to a greater number of people each year; the more money we can raise, the more people will benefit from the fund. So come in to the store, make a donation, or sponsor an event in support of the fund! We welcome any and all suggestions from the Ottawa community in general. Please feel free to contact us with your ideas.

Thanks!

Over the years, many people have helped build the bursary fund. The board in Ottawa is currently comprised of Shelley Taylor (chair), Agnes Noblet (Director), Meera Chander (director), Simmi Dixit (director), Sarah North (director), and Megan Butcher (secretary and treasurer). Of course a host of other board members, selection committee people, volunteers and performers have made the bursary fund fly and for that we love you forever! If you're interested in donating money, raising money, sitting in the selection process or have some great ideas for us, please contact Shelley Taylor